Breaking down the New Orleans Saints schedule

Chris O'Meara/The Associated PressThe Saints open the season against Aaron Rodgers and the defending Super Bowl champs Green Bay.

at Green Bay, Thursday: All games count as one, but this one will have the hype and feel of more than that as the NFL showcases the last two Super Bowl champions. The Saints' defense must contend, right out of the gate, with a super offense led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers and boasting perhaps a resurgent running game with the return of Ryan Grant.

vs. Chicago, Sept. 18: The Bears went to the NFC championship game last season but few are expecting them to repeat that run. Which means this is a conference game the Saints must win, particularly if they are coming off a loss in the opener. New Orleans will have plenty of time to prepare, given Green Bay is a Thursday night game.

vs. Houston, Sept. 25: The Texans and the Saints meet in a rematch of the week 2 preseason game Houston won easily. The Texans boast a top-notch offense led by quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Arian Foster and perhaps the game's best wide receiver, Andre Johnson. The Texans have playoff aspirations, too, and thus this game should prove an important hinge for both teams.

at Jacksonville, Oct. 2. The Saints begin a stretch of three consecutive road games, and, given the Jaguars went 8-8 last season and have a losing record over the last five seasons, the Saints must begin the road run with a victory. The Jaguars drafted quarterback Blaine Gabbert last April and while David Gerrard remains the starter, if he gets off to a rough start the Saints could see the rookie.

at Carolina, Oct. 9. The Saints open divisional play on the road against the worst team in the NFL in 2010. The Panthers may be more exciting in 2011 with No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Newton at quarterback, but that doesn't mean they should be a match for the Saints. If there's one game circled early as a probable 'W,' this would be it.

at Tampa Bay, Oct. 16. Finishing off the year's most punishing, extended road trip, the Saints face a Buccaneers team with high hopes after a 10-6 finish in 2010. Quarterback Josh Freeman is looking to take another step toward the game's top-ranked signal callers, and a defense that finished seventh against the pass and ninth in points allowed will try to contain Brees & Co. A tough game at a tough time against a team that could be on the rise.

vs. Indianapolis, Oct. 23. Quarterback Peyton Manning, who will presumably be fully back by now, comes to the Superdome where he has traditionally enjoyed some of his best games. The first meeting between the two teams since Super Bowl XLIV should be an interesting one, although the Colts enter 2011 with a suspect running game, an aging offensive line and a defense that ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in virtually every category last season.

at St. Louis, Oct. 30. One year ago it came down to the last regular-season game to determine whether the Saints would play at Seattle or St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs. The Rams get the chance to show they would have given New Orleans the same early exit the Seahawks did. Quarterback Sam Bradford will be looking to take some of the sting away from a convincing 31-13 licking the Saints put on St. Louis in the Superdome last year.

vs. Tampa Bay, Nov. 6. The Buccaneers have had the Saints' number in the Superdome the last two years, but the Saints can't afford a letdown this time around. Coming off of a stretch of four games in the previous five weeks, New Orleans needs to take advantage of the home-field advantage in another critical divisional game.

at Atlanta, Nov. 13. This will be the first of two season-defining games. The Saints are hoping to reclaim the NFC South after Atlanta won it last season. But the Falcons have added even more weapons on offense with rookies Julio Jones and Jacquizz Rodgers. The Saints won in the Georgia Dome last season, then celebrated on the field afterward, which won't be forgotten.

vs. New York Giants, Nov. 28. The Saints will return from their bye week with a Monday night home date against the Giants. It will be a homecoming for New York quarterback Eli Manning, but he won't be eager to relive the memories of his last trip to the Superdome - a 48-27 trouncing by the Saints that fueled their Super Bowl run in 2009.

vs Detroit, Dec. 4. This isn't the "break" in the schedule that it once was. The Lions have been improving under Coach Jim Schwartz and might be making their own playoff push, especially if quarterback Matthew Stafford stays healthy. Second-year defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh may be one of the fiercest opponents the Saints face all year.

at Tennessee, Dec. 11. The Saints' defense will be having nightmares this week if veteran Matt Hasselbeck is still playing quarterback for the Titans. Hasselbeck torched the Saints as Seattle's quarterback in the playoffs last season. The Titans are expected to struggle this year, but Hasselbeck could provide balance to go with dominant running back Chris Johnson.

at Minnesota, Dec. 18. The Vikings are one of the biggest wild cards in the league. They've still got a lot of veteran talent on both sides of the ball, led by terrific tailback Adrian Peterson. But if veteran quarterback Donovan McNabb doesn't lead them on a playoff run, they might reboot with rookie Christian Ponder late in the season.

vs Atlanta, Dec. 26. Does it get any bigger than this? Both of these teams head into the year as top Super Bowl contenders. But like last year, one missed field goal could be the difference between the No. 1 seed and the No. 5 seed in the NFC. Chances are, both teams still will be in title contention heading into this prime-time showdown.

vs. Carolina, Jan. 1. Ideally, the Saints will be resting their starters against the Panthers in Week 17, just like they did in 2006 and 2009. But if this turns into a must-win game, it should be an enticing matchup for the Saints. The rebuilding Panthers almost certainly will turn to Newton by this point if he doesn't begin the season as their starter.